MLB: Sitting atop NL, Cardinals await opponent

Published: Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013 11:01 p.m. CDT

Caption

(AP)

Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina laughs during practice Tuesday in St. Louis. The Cardinals are set to host Game 1 of the NL division series Thursday against the winner of the NL wild-card game between the Cincinnati Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates.

BY R.B. FALLSTROM
AP Sports Writer

ST. LOUIS – This time last year, the St. Louis Cardinals had no chance to exhale, and things ended up working out pretty well.

Still, they didn’t want to go through that tension again.

Instead of hustling off somewhere for an elimination game, the NL Central champion Cardinals earned a day off Monday. They can savor a six-game winning streak that gave them 97 wins, tied with Boston for the most in the majors, and home-field advantage for the first two rounds of the postseason.

“September is a big month for a lot of clubs, and I would be willing to say that was our best month,” leadoff man Matt Carpenter said. “We’re hitting our stride, and the timing is perfect.”

Ace Adam Wainwright starts the division series opener Thursday, and the 19-game winner is on track to make two starts, if needed. After working out Tuesday, they watched the Pirates and Reds play their aces in the wild-card game.

“You don’t want to be in that game,” Lance Lynn said after working the division clincher. “We’re happy we don’t have to be in that.”

Last year, the Cardinals grabbed the second wild card on the final day of the season and almost made the World Series.

They won in Atlanta and rallied from six runs down in Washington in the deciding game of the division series. Their bid for a repeat title evaporated when they squandered a 3-1 lead in the NLCS against the Giants.

Wainwright (19-9, 2.94 ERA) is one of two holdovers from the rotation last October and is back in top form, going 4-0 in his last five starts. He’ll be on regular rest for Game 1 Thursday and coming off light duty in his final regular-season start, and should be ready for a Game 5 if needed.

No doubt he’d prefer to face the Pirates. The Reds pounded Wainwright in consecutive starts in late August and early September.

“Those guys have been neck and neck with us the whole season,” Carpenter said. “So, I think it’s fitting that we’re going to match up with one of them.”

The Cardinals hit an astounding .330 with runners in scoring position, led by Allen Craig’s major league-leading .454 mark. Carpenter had a breakout season by leading the majors in hits, runs, doubles and multi-hit games, and Molina had a career-best 80 RBIs along with the usual Gold Glove-level game behind the plate.

St. Louis also had a major league-high 36 wins from rookies, and Molina’s presence has been invaluable for all the kids who’ve stepped up. The Cardinals have allowed a total of six runs in their last six games and nearly shut out the Cubs over the final weekend.

Shelby Miller led all rookies with 15 wins, learning along the way to trust more than his fastball. Joe Kelly capitalized on a fill-in gig for the second straight year and Michael Wacha nearly no-hit the Nationals last week.

“The rookies on this team have done an unbelievable job,” the 22-year-old Miller said. “There’s a ton of us, so it’s pretty impressive. This is one of a kind.”